Adjustable bonnet for discharge chute of snow removing machine



R. J. BACON May 5, 1970 ADJUSTABLE BONNET FOR DISCHARGE cnum OF snow REMOVING MACHINE Filed April 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROGER J BACON Il-Ill III I ATTORNEY y 5, 1970 R. J. BACON 3,510,171

ADJUSTABLE BONNET FOR DISCHARGE CHUTE OF SNOW REMOVING MACHINE Filed April 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ROGER J. BACON AT TORNE Y United States Patent US. Cl. 302-61 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A snow removing machine has a snow discharge chute with a snow guiding bonnet. The bonnet has a pin on each side which is received, respectively, in a slot on each side of the chute. A spring on each side of the chute has one end connected to the pin and the other end connected to the chute continuously to hold the bonnet in engage ment with the rear outer edge of the chute. A manual control cable is connected to the rear end of the bonnet to tilt the bonnet about the rear outer edge of the chute.

The present invention relates to a snow removing machine, and, more particularly, to the discharge chute and bonnet thereof.

In the usual case, the discharge chute of a snow removing machine can be swiveled selectively to direct the discharged snow to one side or the other of the machine. Moreover, an adjustable bonnet is sometimes provided at the outer end of the discharge chute for adjusting the angle at which the snow is propelled from the discharge chute. The adjustment of the bonnet determined the height of the propelled stream of discharged snow and, therefore, determines the distance the snow is propelled.

One problem stemming from the use of a bonnet is that sometimes, particularly when the bonnet is set to guide the snow along a low trajectory, some snow will escape out the rear end of the bonnet and accumulate on the snow removal machine. This condition occurs because of a gap between the rear outer edge of the snow discharge chute and the bonnet.

In the present invention, the gap between the rear outer edge of the chute and the bonnet is very slight and virtually no snow can escape between this edge of the chute and the bonnet. In brief, in the preferred form of the invention, the bonnet is connected to the chute by a floating pivot connection and is continuously urged against one side of the outer edge of the chute. The floating pivot connection comprises a pair of pins in the. bonnet, one on each side thereof, which are received in slots on each side of the chute. Springs on each side of the chute, extending between the chute and the pins on the bonnet, continuously urge the bonnet against one side of the outer edge of the chute. A cable control extends from the cab of the tractor (to which the snow removing machine is attached) to the inner edge of the bonnet and selectively tilts the bonnet about the side of the outer edge of the chute, The angle of tilt of the bonnet with respect to the chute determines the trajectory of the discharged snow.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an adjustable discharge chute bonnet on a snow removal machine which effectively blocks the escape of snow except form the discharge end thereof. It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable discharge chute bonnet for a snow removal machine which continuously engages one side of the. outer edge of the discharge chute. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a discharge chute bonnet for a snow removal machine which is remotely adjustable and engages one side of the outer edge of the discharge chute in every adjusted position.

FIG. 1 is a side view elevation of a tractor connected to a snow removal machine, said machine having a snow discharge chute and bonnet constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are fragmentary views, taken as the view of FIG. 1, showing the bonnet in different adjusted positions;

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are views taken on the lines 44, 5-5, 6-6, and 7--7 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view, taken as the view of FIG. 1, showing the floating pivot connection between the honnet and the chute.

There is shown in FIG. 1 a tractor 10 which has pivotally connected thereto the frame 11 of a snow removing machine 12 which is of the type shown, for example, in US. Pat. 2,768,453 issued Oct. 30, 1956 to W. J. Adams, Jr. for Rotary Snow Plow. In this type of snow removing machine, rotating screw-type rotors, indicated at 13, move the snow to the center of the machine where ejector blades, indicated at 14, drive the snow upwardly into chute 15. The snow is discharged from the outer end of chute 15, which may be selectively swiveled to cast the snow in any desired direction. A bonnect 16 on the chute guides the discharged snow in a forwardly directional sense, as indicated by arrow A, out the outer, or forward, end 16a of the bonnent. The angle 06 of the. bonnet 16 with respect to the chute 15 determines the trajectory of the discharged snow and, therefore, determines the distance the. snow is thrown.

The bonnet 16 is pivotally connected to the outer end of the chute 15 in a manner to prevent the discharge, or escape, of snow out the inner, or rear end 16b of the honnet. This is accomplished by a floating pivot connection P between the bonnet and the chute which holds the honnet against the rear side of the outer edge of the chute.

The chute 15, which is of U-shaped cross-section and leans in the directional sense the snow is cast, has a sloping edge 17 at the outer end which peaks at point 18 in the center of the chute. Two slots 19, one on each side of the chute, extend parallel to the outer edge closely spaced therefrom. The bonnet 16, which is also of U-shaped cross-section, has a nut 20 welded to the inner surface on each side, as shown in FIG. 7. Two threaded pins 21, extending through the bonnet on each side, respectively, are each threadedly received in nut 20 and each projects into slot 19 in the chute. A nut 22 is threadedly received on the end of pin 21, and washers 23 are received on the pin under the head 24 thereof and under nut 22. A spring 25 is connected under tension between the side of the chute, at 25a, and the head 24 of the pin. During assembly of the bonnet to the chute, the nut 22 is drawn up snugly, but not tight enough to prevent the bonnet from swiveling with respect to the chute, nor to prevent the pin 21 from sliding in the slot 19 under the force of the spring 25.

By virtue of the floating pivot connection P of the bonnet to the chute on each side, and the spring which exerts an inwardly directed pull on the bonnet, the center of the inner surface of the bonnet (indicated by line CL, FIG. 5) continuously contacts the rear of the outer edge of the chute at point 18, regardless of the angle 06 of inclination of the bonnet 16 with respect to the chute 15.

The angle of inclination of the bonnet 16 with respect to the chute 15 can be changed selectively by the operator from his seat in the tractor. A handle 26, mounted at the operators cab in the tractor, is connected to a bell crank lever 27 which is connected to one end of a control cable 28. The opposite end of the control cable is connected to the center of the rear end 16b of the bonnet. The cable 28 is slidably received in a flexible sheath 29 having one end connected to the tractor at 30 and the opposite end 3 connected to the snow discharge chute at 31. Movement of the handle 26 will tilt the bonnet 16 about the point 18 on the rear of the outer edge of the chute.

It will be noted, from a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3, that the point (32 in FIG. 2 and 33 in FIG. 3) on the under surface of the bonnet which engages point 18 of the chute, ditfers according to the inclination of the chute. It will also be notedthat point 32 is a greater distance (D1) from the pivot P (and pin 21 thereof) than the distance (D2) of point 33. If the pin 21 defined a fixed pivot point for the bonnet on the chute, the bonnet would contact the rear edge of the chute at one particular point (at one particular angle a), only. At other angles of inclination, a gap would exist between the chute and the bonnet through which snow could escape. However, since the pins 21 can float in the slots 19, and since the pins are continuously urged downwardly by springs 25, the center of the under surface of the bonnet (line CL) continuously engages the rear of the outer edge of the chute (at point 18) at any angle of inclination of the bonnet. Thus, as shown best in FIG. 6, there is never a significant gap between the bonnet and the chute, and no significant discharge of snow can occur in the rearward direction. There is, therefore, no appreciable accumulation of snow on the snow removing machine which could clog the controls thereof or otherwise interfere with normal operation of the machine.

Having completed a detailed description of the invention so that those skilled in the art could practice the same, I claim:

1. A snow blowing machine having a generally upwardly extending chute through which removed snow is propelled, said chute being adjustable to control the direction and distance at which the snow is accumulated relative to the path traversed by the machine, the improvement in said chute comprising an elongate bonnet overlying the upper marginal edge of said chute, elongate slots in said chute, floating pivots slidable in said slots pivotally connecting said bonnet to said chute so that said bonnet is adjustable to define an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of said chute in order to control the trajectory of the snow propelled through said chute, and means connected to said pivots for continually urging the bonnet in forceable engagement with the marginal edges of said discharge chute.

2. The snow blowing machine according to claim 1 wherein said pivot connections are disploced in said slots in response to pivotal movement of said bonnet relative to said chute.

3. A snow removing machine comprising an upwardly extending chute for directing snow propelled by said machine, a bonnet extending below and above the upper terminal end of said chute, means pivitally connecting said bonnet to said chute for permitting angular orientation of said bonnet relative to said chute so that the trajectory of the snow can be regulated, said bonnet being formed to define a cross sectional shape substantially similar to that of said chute so that it constitutes an elongation of said chute when angular orientation therebetween is substantially zerodegrees, said pivotally connecting means being slidably mounted in laterally aligned slots to permit displacement thereof when said bonnet is rotated angularly relative to said chute and means for maintaining the surface of said bonnet adjacent the chute in forceable contact with a substantial portion of said upper terminal end of said chute.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,732,638 1/ 1956 Leufvenius. 2,770,893 11/ 1956 Jacobs. 2,019,926 11/1935 Noble 302--10 1,765,115 6/1930 Welles 302 2,741,512 4/1956 Stott et a1 198228 X 3,075,813 1/1963 Vohl 30261 FOREIGN PATENTS 399,071 9/ 1933 Great Britain.

ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 3743 

